The Government works in a number of ways to try to help and assist families. We have brought in many services to assist people with the cost of education, including the free schoolbooks and hot school meals programmes. It was well known that the leaving certificate fees were reverting this year.
Sentiment score: 0.41
I thank Deputy Kelly for raising this matter. I know he is somebody who has consistently highlighted this issue and his significant concerns in relation to it. I do think there needs to be further examination and inquiry into these matters. The form that takes or how that is brought about is obviously a matter in the first instance for my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan. I have not had a chance to discuss this with him, but I do share the view of the Taoiseach, as previously articulated in this House. I can only imagine the lives put on hold and the stress, strain and family pressures that all of this has caused people. Those people deserve answers and an explanation.
Sentiment score: 0.05
We have a State organisation in the Land Development Agency that is making a real and positive impact in relation to the delivery of homes right across our country. I have been on many sites with it in recent weeks and months. We do live in a housing emergency, of that there is no doubt, but it is important to quote the report in the round. I note that we did see the number of terminations actually fall in the final quarter, down 3.6% in quarter 4 compared with quarter 3 of 2025. We also saw the number of tenancies increase during that year as well. We have debated in this House before the unintended consequences of a no-fault eviction ban, as Deputy Hearne envisages, and we saw the outworkings of that in quarter 2 of 2023. We brought in a series of protections for tenants - very robust protections - in our recent rental reforms. That is an important step to take, in terms of six-year tenancies and additional protections for tenants. I look forward to people seeing the benefit of that in the time ahead.
Sentiment score: 0.14
I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett very much. I know we are not allowed to do a back-and-forth, but could I ask him if the children are in the school?
Sentiment score: 0.18
Sure. I thank him for raising the issue on behalf of his colleague, Councillor Reddy. I will speak to the Minister for education today and see if she or somebody on her behalf can engage with the equality in education campaign to see how we can bring progress to this as quickly as possible.
Sentiment score: 0.44
I thank Deputy Dolan very much. I appreciate him raising this issue today as Daffodil Day is tomorrow and this House will not be in session. I am meeting the Irish Cancer Society this afternoon. I am sure this is one of the issues that it will want to discuss too. I do not want to pre-empt what the Government may do in future budgets. Deputy Dolan would give out to me at an Oireachtas committee if we did that. We do need to look at this. Thankfully, people are living longer and cancer survivorship is increasing, but there are real burdens that go with cancer in terms of lost income and pressures on the family as well. This Government has a proud record of supporting the development of cancer services, but how we can do more to support people as they are on their cancer journey is something I am eager to explore with the Deputy and with the Irish Cancer Society. I will meet it today and I am happy to report back to the Deputy after that.
Sentiment score: -0.07
I thank Deputy Brennan for raising this issue. First and most importantly, I want to express my deepest condolences to the family of the late Claire Cullen. It is an incredibly heartbreaking case for the Cullen family and the community in Courtown in Wexford as well. I want to assure him and the House that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is very much aware of this tragic case. It also wants to extend its sincere sympathies to Claire's family. I am assured that consular support is being provided to the family through our teams and our embassy in Colombia and through our consular unit in Dublin. A dedicated caseworker has been appointed to this case. As with all consular cases, we do not comment on individual cases, but that is in order to protect the privacy of all of those who receive assistance. I do want to assure Deputy Brennan that on foot of his question the family can be assured that the Department will provide every consular support that is possible, both via the team here in Dublin and in Colombia.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I thank Deputy Guirke for raising this issue. I want to clarify that this was not a decision taken by the Minister for Health but it was, indeed, a change in pricing practice by a number of pharmacies across the country. The position in this regard is as it always has been. I ask that pharmacists engage with their loyal customers on the issue and reflect on the comments of the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. I will ask her to provide the Deputy with the most up-to-date information on her Department's engagement with pharmacists on this matter.
Sentiment score: 0.33
On foot of this matter being raised by the Deputy, I will make myself aware of the details. I do not want to comment on any specific legal actions or outworkings that could be ongoing because such cases require the law to be followed. There are protections in place, with clear rules in relation to tenancies outlined by the Residential Tenancies Board, RTB. I expect all of those rules to be adhered to. Without commenting on individual cases, we have seen instances in the past where a practice was being considered and then was stopped because it clearly was not in line with the rules. I am happy to look into this matter further and to ask the Minister for housing to get back to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: 0.21
As the Deputy said, he raised this issue with me a number of weeks ago. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who committed to getting back to the Deputy. I will follow up with the Minister on foot of our interaction today. We keep the allocations we make for roads and transport under review as the year progresses. The Deputy has highlighted a specific concern in relation to Cavan and Monaghan and has engaged with officials there. I will ask the Minister to get back to him directly.
Sentiment score: 0.13
I take the Deputy's point that saying something is a priority but asking someone to wait for three years clearly is not what people would rightly expect. On foot of his raising this issue, I will speak to the Minister directly to ask that she look into the matter and revert directly to him.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Department of Health and the HSE are aware of the outbreak recently reported in the UK and are actively monitoring the situation. Based on information available, the HSE assesses that the overall population risk in Ireland related to the UK outbreak remains very low. This aligns with the assessment of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control that the risk to the general public in the EU remains very low due to the very small probability of exposure and potential infection. Our immunisation programme is based on the advice of the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC. We have MenB, MenC and MenACWY vaccines to protect from diseases caused by meningitis A, B, C, W and Y. The MenB and MenC vaccines are included in the primary childhood immunisation program for babies born since October 2016. The MenB vaccine is offered at two and four months of age, with a booster dose given at 12 months. The MenC vaccine is offered to children at 13 months. Following a NIAC recommendation, since 2019, the vaccine has been offered as part of the MenACWY vaccine to students in first year. NIAC does not currently recommend a MenB vaccine programme for adolescents but it continues to review the epidemiology of it. It is carrying out an evidence review of the MenB vaccine in adolescents and young adults. Following that review, should there be a need for action, we will, of course, act. I know the Deputy will agree it is important that we follow the advice of NIAC.
Sentiment score: 0.04
I acknowledge, as I always do, that this is an issue the Deputy has prioritised since he came into this House. It is something about which I know he feels passionately. I will check with the Minister for Health where we are at in terms of the roll-out of the early access scheme. I assure the Deputy, and, most importantly, the people who have rare diseases and parents of children with rare diseases, that the Government absolutely intends to make significant progress on this during our term of office. We have already taken a number of steps in that regard. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, to get back to the Deputy directly on the early access scheme.
Sentiment score: 0.24
We will always work constructively with colleagues on housing. I acknowledge the Labour Party has brought forward constructive proposals in relation to housing in this Dáil and the previous Dáil. I have a different perspective in terms of the Government's position on housing. In our rental reforms Bill, we brought forward very significant protections for renters. We introduced security of tenure, with tenancies of a minimum duration of six years, and what is, in effect, a ban on no-fault evictions. From quarters 3 to 4, we saw a reduction of 3.6% in notices of termination. This Government is presiding over the largest number of social homes built, if not ever, certainly in our lifetime. That is part of the record of this Government. Housing remains an emergency and remains the number one domestic priority for Government.
Sentiment score: -0.01
I thank Deputy Healy for raising this issue. We are seeing very significant increase in the number of gardaí entering training in Templemore. It is a huge priority for the Government to increase the number of gardaí. I am absolutely disgusted and angered to hear about any assault on a member of An Garda Síochána. When I was justice Minister, we changed the law to increase the sentencing available to the courts for anybody who assaults a member of our emergency services, including a member of An Garda Síochána. An attack on a garda is an attack on our democracy and an attack on all of us. One of the reasons we are rolling out bodycams is to provide protection for gardaí. People often stick a camera in a garda's face and the garda is left having to endure that. It is really important that bodycams are rolled out. I will speak directly to the Minister who, I know, will raise the Deputy's view on garda numbers in south Tipperary with the Commissioner.
Sentiment score: -0.02
I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising this matter. I know the flooding experienced in his constituency of Dublin Bay North was really horrendous. I remember witnessing the video footage of it. We all saw the videos in particular of the basements of apartment blocks being flooded, and the fear and anxiety that created. The emergency response payment administered by the Department of Social Protection does not exclude apartments from supports. That has been confirmed to me by the Department. However, the Deputy's broader point is absolutely right. We are living through a time when we are seeing more incidences of severe weather. We are therefore spending more on trying to assist people. Along with spending a lot more on resilience and adaptation measures, we need to review how effectively the use of taxpayers' money through these payments is assisting people. In the aftermath of a variety of adverse weather events, this is an area we want to look at, from both a social protection point of view and an enterprise point of view. We need to make sure the schemes we have in place are working well. Data is a key part of that. I will certainly follow up further with both relevant Ministers and revert to the Deputy.
Sentiment score: -0.01
I agree with everything the Deputy has said. It is our intention to finalise a package. It is our intention to agree that package at Government next week. One of the criteria that we have set for measures we bring forward is whether they can be put into effect quickly. While I am not talking about the Deputy, people in this House, often those on the Opposition benches, have ideas, even some good ideas, but actually it is about looking at what we can do quickly and also providing ourselves with the flexibility to respond to a fast-moving and evolving situation. Anything we do in the first instance should be for a short period of time to allow us that agility, as a State, to respond. The Deputy is right on inflation though and this is a concern I have as Minister for Finance. Today, the focus is on energy but the longer this conflict goes on, the greater the impact on inflation is. The country has made a lot of progress on inflation. Real wages are rising now and inflation is falling. That is why, alongside the interventions, we need to continue to call for de-escalation. That is, of course, the best economic intervention we can seek.
Sentiment score: 0.21
I do not want to jinx it, but I think there is a compelling case for providing flexibility in terms of people being able to watch us qualify for the World Cup and then, God willing, get to the World Cup. I wish our team all the very best starting next week in what is a crucial period of time for Irish soccer. The Deputy's point is a really important one and it is also an economic point. When people come to our country, they want to be able to access our hospitality. We need to make these things as simple as possible for publicans and provide them with the flexibility as well. Obviously, we need to do all this while being conscious of public safety, conscious of Garda resources and conscious of access to transport. I recently spoke to the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, on this. I know he is working his way through this matter and I will ask him to come back to the Deputy with an update. There are a number of things in this Bill and sometimes they are all viewed as some kind of homogenous package. I think we should be trying to move ahead as quickly as we can with measures that would specifically help our pubs, which are a vital part of our economy.
Sentiment score: 0.36